


Oh it’s the beating of drums in the back of your chest

by swallowthewhale



Series: Killervibe Week [8]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Role Reversal, killervibe fanfic week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 04:21:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14968991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swallowthewhale/pseuds/swallowthewhale
Summary: Caitlin is the cute barista at Jitters that Cisco is working up the courage to ask out. If only he'd known her secret identity before he got her number.Killervibe Fanfic Week 2018: Role Reversal





	Oh it’s the beating of drums in the back of your chest

Step one, Cisco tells himself, is to ask for her number. He could go for her name first, but it’s right there on her name tag, and he’s made _that_ embarrassing mistake before. She’s new at Jitters, but she's no nonsense and sharp and can remember the entire complicated order of a snooty soccer mom without blinking. Cisco thinks she’s beautiful and also very familiar, but probably just in the way that there are lots of pretty thin blonds in Central City. Just none that never forget his name, or his order, or the last thing they chatted about when he shows up in the middle of the night and is the only customer there.

Step two is to be charming and clever enough at dinner to convince her to give him a shot. Cisco figures it’s a good sign that she even agrees to dinner, smiling in a shy way he’s never seen on her before. She writes her number on his coffee cup, responds quickly when he texts her that afternoon, and shows up at exactly six for dinner at Cisco’s favorite restaurant.

They never make it to step three because halfway through dinner, a body slams through the restaurant windows. Cisco freezes - literally - as his hair frosts over and his eyes turn electric blue. He can see Caitlin flinch when she notices and Cisco writes the whole thing off as a lost cause then and there. He turns away to blast the man in a ninja-style black bodysuit and mask with icicles and doesn’t even notice when Caitlin brushes by him, her own hand outstretched.

Cisco recognizes the vibration that rockets out of her hand at the same time she looks over her shoulder at him, the swirls of blue from the breach opening in front of her reflecting in her eyes. Cisco swears she winks as she steps through.

“Fuck,” he mutters, shooting more icicles at the ninja. Go figure Vibe would take off as soon as there was trouble. At least she didn’t decide to join in on the fun. And fucking hell, how did Cisco end up on a dinner date with a super villain?

To Cisco’s utter surprise, Vibe’s breach pops her back out right behind the ninja, who she blasts across the room and into the wall. Cisco walks up and ices the ninja’s hands together behind his back while he calls Joe West.

"Got a live one,” Cisco says, gaze still locked on Vibe, who hasn’t looked away from him either. "Vibe," he says as evenly as he can manage after he hangs up.

"Frost," she replies, smirking. “I always knew you had good taste.”

Cisco scowls. “Was this a set up?” he snaps. “Because it was a pretty crappy one if you were going to help fight off the distraction.”

Vibe holds up her hands. “This was all Caitlin,” she says. “I can’t improve her taste in men no matter how much I try.” She yanks on her skirt. “Or her wardrobe either.”

“You _are_ Caitlin," Cisco says slowly. “Caitlin is Vibe.”

Vibe waves her hand. “I mean, technically yes, but Caity really has no idea what I get up to at night.” Vibe's smile is feral, and she draws one finger down Cisco’s chest, the touch resonating in his chest. Her gaze goes unfocused for a moment, then snaps back. “I should get going," she tosses her hair over her shoulder. "Caity is better at clean up than I am.”

When Vibe blinks, her entire posture changes, straightening up and pulling together. Cisco feels like he can even see her eyes change.

“Cisco?” Caitlin asks in a tiny voice, eyes widening as she takes in his slowly fading white hair and the ninja at their feet. “What happened?”

They have dinner on the house, so long as they don’t mind the draft from the broken window, and Caitlin quietly tells Cisco about her alternate personality without even questioning his obvious secret.

“I haven’t figured out any way to get control over Vibe,” Caitlin says, twirling pasta on her fork absently. “But we have a sort of understanding. She keeps us alive and doesn't interfere with my life, and I let her have free run as long as there’s no killing.”

Cisco sighs. “So you’re telling me that not only did you not have any idea that Vibe was off being a criminal, I’m an idiot too for not recognizing you at Jitters?”

Caitlin rolls her eyes. “You’re too smart to be an idiot. Besides both know how well people can convince themselves to believe a lie if they want to. That’s how so many superheros and supervillains get away with having secret identities.”

"True," Cisco says, still a little miffed that a different outfit and make-up was all it took for him to think Caitlin and Vibe were totally different people. 

He jumps a little when Caitlin's hand presses over his. “I’m really sorry,” she says. “I can just go home if you want.”

“No,” Cisco says quietly. “No, besides all the weird secret identity stuff, I-” he blushes, “I still really like you. Maybe we can have a do-over?”

“Hmm,” Caitlin says. "I don't think so.” Before Cisco can completely deflate, she adds, “If you buy me ice cream, I think we can call it even and go from there.”

Cisco brightens. “I love ice cream." He signals for the check. “And on the way you can tell me how someone with two PhDs ended up working at Jitters.”

Caitlin only raises an eyebrow. “Then you can tell me how you went from Star Labs to the CCPD.”

Cisco laughs. “Deal.”

They shake on it, and Cisco has the oddest sensation that this was meant to be.


End file.
